


Human

by Tedronai



Series: Everything Is Better with Asmodean [6]
Category: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2465453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tedronai/pseuds/Tedronai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asmodean and Rand have a chat after the events of Dumai's Wells.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human

**Author's Note:**

> Set shortly after Dumai's Wells (as seen in the fic Fire and Blood). I wrote this some while back and posted on Tumblr so this is not exactly new material, but as it seems I never posted it here... Well, better late than never?

Al’Thor wasn’t in his rooms when Asmodean wandered in late that night. That was mildly worrying — considering the last time he hadn’t been found where he was supposed to be found, the result had been the battle of Dumai’s Wells — but only mildly, because it was unlikely that even al’Thor could have got himself kidnapped again in such a short time, with Aiel outside his door and Asha’man in the next room. Therefore Asmodean took a seat and settled down to wait. He didn’t have long to wait, which was fortunate because waiting gave him entirely too much time to think, and having consumed a bit more wine than was perhaps wise — not enough to be drunk; he had quite a high tolerance for alcohol — his thoughts were nothing he wanted to explore in too great a detail.

The gateway opened in the middle of the room and al’Thor strode through, carrying a plain cloth sack under one arm, still holding _saidin_ and ready to pounce at the first sign of a threat. As he noticed Asmodean, he clutched the sack tighter for a moment before relaxing again, as much as he had ever relaxed since the Wells. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“What’s in that sack?” Asmodean asked.

Al’Thor gave him a long, hard look. Then he sighed and set the sack on a table. “Something I’m going to need,” he said. “Maybe soon.”

Asmodean felt a chill and his breath caught; he could make out he shape of two objects through the sack cloth, and… He wet his lips nervously. “You said you’d destroyed them,” he said; his voice shook slightly. If he was right — and al’Thor’s reaction confirmed it — what was in those sacks could destroy the world. Destroy it… or save it. Dare he hope?

Al’Thor flashed a small, humourless grin. “Can you blame me for not trusting you then?”

 _Then. Do you trust me now, my Lord Dragon?_ But Asmodean didn’t say that out loud; he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer. He wasn’t sure how he felt about either option. “No,” he said instead. “I certainly don’t.”

Shrugging out of his coat, al’Thor threw himself into the other chair and stretched out his legs before him. “You didn’t answer my question,” he said. “What _are_ you doing here?” The grey eyes regarded Asmodean steadily. “Something’s bothering you and it’s not the Choedan Kal.”

That was true enough. Sadly, it didn’t mean that he had the slightest idea how to approach the subject now that al’Thor was here and willing to talk. In the end he simply blurted out, “He’s doing the best he can.”

Al’Thor blinked. “What?” He sounded genuinely confused. “Who is doing..?”

“He’s damn near worked miracles for you,” Asmodean went on, speaking fast, nearly stumbling over the words. “He’s done everything you’ve asked of him. And I’m not saying you should trust him with all your plans and secrets, that would be plain foolish, but his job would be a lot easier if he didn’t have to try to read your mind. He’s human. You could—” He cut off abruptly as his brain caught up with his tongue and he realised he had raised his voice slightly, heard the desperate note that shaded the words. “You could try treating him like one,” he finished dully, without looking at al’Thor.

“You’re talking about Taim, aren’t you?” al’Thor said, not really a question despite the disbelief in his voice. “Taim, of all people. Light! You’ve heard what he did to Saldaea before he was captured. You saw what he’s capable of. And you would defend him?”

Asmodean winced. “Not… defending, no, I wouldn’t call it _defending_ …” he muttered. Then he looked up at al’Thor. “Besides, does he need defending? Is he accused of something? What exactly is your problem with him? What… what he’s _capable_ of?” He laughed bitterly. “You do remember who you’re talking to? Taim and his Asha’man tearing a few thousand Shaido to shreds isn’t exactly the worst I’ve seen done with the Power… or without, for that matter. Besides, you wanted him to make weapons. Which part of what your new weapons can do came as a shock to you? Are the Asha’man too good at what you wanted them to become? Are you angry with Taim or horrified at what you have, however indirectly, created?”

Al’Thor stared at him blankly for a long while. “This isn’t about Taim,” he said slowly. “Or not entirely.” He shook his head with a rueful smile. “Taim is a cold, ruthless man who has very little regard for human lives… He has done a good job with the Black Tower. He has served me well enough. Does this balance out the lives he’s taken? Or the fact that he offered to kill Aes Sedai — to kill women! — without blinking an eye?” He spoke in a casual, almost careless voice, but his eyes were intent on Asmodean. “Which way do the scales tip? Does he have a chance of… redemption?” He dropped the casual act and went on, softly. “And if he does… might someone else, too?”

Asmodean looked away. “He’s young. Whatever he’s done, it’s not…” His voice failed; he cleared his throat and tried again. “It’s nothing compared to—” He couldn’t bring himself to say it, to admit out loud that it was a thought that ever entered his mind.

Silence.

Finally, al’Thor spoke again. “No man can walk in the Shadow for so long that they could not be brought back to Light,” he recited softly.

“Do you really believe that?” Asmodean asked, barely a whisper.

Again al’Thor was silent for a while before answering. “I don’t know,” he said simply. “I like to think so. But I do believe that we never know quite what we’re capable of… until we do it. In both good and evil.” He gave a short, mirthless chuckle. “And _that’s_ something _I_ have to believe, because I’ve no idea how exactly I’m going to save the world; I only know that I must, and I _will_ , somehow. If I can believe that… Why not?” He stood up and walked over to Asmodean and laid a hand on his shoulder. “There’s a saying in the Two Rivers. ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ The will you’ll have to find for yourself, but the way… I figure I can probably help with that part.” He flashed a small but surprisingly genuine smile. “And as for Taim, I’ll think about what you said. But now, I’m going to get some sleep while I can.” He patted Asmodean on the shoulder and turned and strode across the room and vanished into the bedroom.

Asmodean stared after him for a long while. Finally he said, half under his breath despite there being nobody to hear, “Thank you.”


End file.
